Agitating machine for bottled beverages and the like



Jane 23, 1953 w. 1.. BAsHFoRD AGITATING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED BEVERAGESAND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet lIIIIIIIIIIIISIIIIIIIIIllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllilllrllllllllIlll R O TN E V m ATTORNEY June 23, 1953 w. L. BAsHFoRD 2,643,102

AGITTING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED BEVERAGES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 15, 19522 Sheets-Shes?l 2 1N VENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT YOFFICE AGITATING MACHINE YFOR BOTTLED 'BEVERAGES AND THELIKE William L. Bashford, Fresno, Calif.

Application February 15, 1952, Serial No. 271,793

17 Claims. (Cl. 259-54) The present invention relates 4to agitatingmachines, and more particularly to apparatus for agitating sealedindividual merchandisalzile con tainers, e. g, bottles, each newlyfilled in `a bottling plant with two or more separate, differentsubstances, such as a small quantity of beverage syrup and a largerquantity of carbonated or plain water, which must be intimately admixedin the containers to produce a homogeneous mixture, 'solution ordispersion for sale and consumption as a soft drink or the like.

While the invention is usable for producing a thorough mixture ofpractically any liquids, semiliduids, and/or solids that have beenseparately charged into individual bottles, cans or other containers, itis particularly `adapted for use in lthe bottling of carbonated crnon-carbonated beverages. and a preferred embodiment will in thisapplica-tion for `Letters Patent be described in terms of such use.

'it is customary, in beverage bottling plants, to charge relativelysmall quantities or" syrup .or flavored cono-entrate into empty bottles,then fill the bottles with carbonated or plain water, and then seal thebottles. Because the two charges are of di'ii'erent specic gravity, itis necessary to shake the bottles to produce the necessary com pleteinter-dispersion of their contents.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine whichwill rapidly and economically perform the required bottle shakingoperation.

Related objects are concerned with performing the shaking operation oncase lots of bottles or equivalent containers automatically as anincident to movement of the cases along a conveyor system for moving thecases from the bottling machine, label applying machine, andcase-lilling station to Va point of final discharge, such as a table orplatform from which the finished product is removed to storage or into avehicle .for transportation. y

Incidental objects are concerned with producing a machine of thecharacter described which will be fully automatic in operation, simpleand durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and entirelyfoolproof in use.

A related object is to produce a machine which will require no motor orother power means to operate it.

A preferred embodiment of the invention which illustrates the principlesdefined. by the appended claims is shown in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating 2 the machinedisposed between upper and lower sections or levels of a conveyor systemfor moving cases of bottled beverages from the bottling and relatedmachines and stations,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the machine,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the carriage elementof the machine,

lig.` 4 is a top plan view `of the machine installed between theconveyor .sections as shown in Fig. l,

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View, taken on the line 5-5 of Fighe,

Fig. 6 is a relatively enlarged longitudinal sectional view of thecarriage shown at the discharge end of the upper conveyor section, and

Fig. '7 is a detail perspective View of Yone of the case-latchingcatches which are provided on the receiving end of the carriage.

In these drawings the reference numeral I designates any suitable typeof level or slightly downwardly inclined conveyor, here shown as aroller way, on which cases 2 of newly lled bottles 3 are conductedserially from any conventional bottling, labeling and case-fillingequipment. It is assumed that the bottles 3 in the case 2 located at theposition shown in Fig. 1 have been charged first with a syrup, thenilled with water, and then sealed, and require agitation to eiect themixing or dispersion that has been explained hereinabove.

The conveyor .section I is mounted at a relatively elevated position ona pedestal c and is longitudinally spaced from an aligned similarsection 5 which is mounted at a lower elevation on a shorter pedestal 6.The two sections are connected by a runway 'I Which is downwardlyslopedor inclined, either along a fiat plane or preferably along a curvilinearone as shown, from a receiving end 8 at the tail end of the upperconveyor section I to a discharge end 9 at the head end of the lowersection 5.

The details of the conveyor sections are unimportant and form no part ofthe present invention. Suffice it to say that they may include spacedparallel side lrails Ill journaling idle rollers Il which support thecases 2 for movement by gravity or otherwise in a well known manner.

The runway 'I comprises a pair of laterally spaced parallel rails I2 ofangle iron or the like, having their upper surfaces racked or providedwith upstanding teeth I3. Any 7Vsuitable means may be used formaintaining the rails I2 at a fixed Separation from each other so as toleave the space between them wide open for a purpose hereinafter to beexplained. In actual practice it is found suncient to secure the railends to the ends of the conveyor sections I and 5, the rigidity of therail material rendering cross bracing or connections unnecessary.

The reference numeral I4 designates a carriage which comprisesessentially a skeletonized iioor or bottom made up of two longitudinallyextending spaced side angle irons I5, to each of which is riveted orotherwise permanently aixed an upstanding side wall I6, and the two sidewalls are surmounted by a roof or top member I1. To make the spacingbetween the floor and top members adjustable, each side wall may be madequite low throughout its length, or at least at its end portions asshown at I6a (lower than the shortest bottle which the machine will becalled upon to handle), and slotted to receive bolts holding brackets I8depending from the top, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. The top member andthe side walls of the carriage may take the form of rigid metal plates,and the floor member may be completed by intermediate cross bars I9, aback or trailing end sill 2U, and a front or leading end sill 2 I, allspaced apart and having their ends secured'to the side angle irons I5,as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. It will be recognized that the front and rearends of the carriage are wide open so as to be capable of receiving anddischarging a case 2. Such a case is shown in Figs. 3 and 6 positionedin the carriage.

Fixed to and spaced beyond the outer surface of each of the carriageside walls IS, as by a spacer block 22 having a large ange 22a, is aroller 23 provided with peripheral teeth 24 which are meshed with theteeth I3 of the adjacent one of the rails I2 of the runway 1. The tworollers are xed on the same axis, and the dimensions and proportions ofthe blocks 22 and flanges 22a are such that the diameter of the anges isgreater than that of the rollers and the gauge of vthe rollers is thatof the rails I2, while the distance between the outer surfaces of thecarriage side walls I is less than the inside spacing of the rails I2.Thus the ilanges hold the rollers on the rails and the carriage turnsbodily, rotating on the axis of the rollers 23, turning end over endbetween the rails I2, as the rollers roll in either direction, upwardlyor downwardly along the runway 1.

It is convenient and sucient, though by no means essential, to make thelength of the runway traversed by the carriage exactly twice that of thecircumference of each of the rollers, so that on eachrnovement of thecarriage either up or down the runway the carriage will turn through twocomplete revolutions. This has been found to be ample and adequate toproduce the required and desired mixing of beverage ingredients formingthe contents of bottles in the case carried by the carriage, but ofcourse, well within the spirit of the invention, the runway may be madelonger, and/or the rollers may be made smaller, to provide for anygreater number of revolutions that experience may show to be desirableto produce thorough mixing of any particular beverage ingredients.

The carriage descends by gravity from the receiving end 8 of the runwayto the discharge end 9 thereof. To move it back up the runway, after ithas discharged a case onto the conveyor section 5 as will be hereinafterexplained, the invention provides a counterbalancing system whieh mayinclude a cable 25 having one end connected to a bail 26 pivoted to theside walls of the Carriage and having a weight 21 connected to its otherend. The cable is trained over a system of pulleys 28, 29 and 30 topermit the weight 21 to move up and down at a side of the conveyorsection I as the carriage reciprocates along the runway. If desired orthought necessary, the run of the cable on which the weight 21 hangs maybe caused to pass by an elevated xture 3| and loosely through the boreof an additional weight 32 which is slidably captive in the fixture. Thearrangement is such that just before the weight 21 rises to the end ofits path of movement, determined by arrival of the carriage at thedischarge end 9 of the runway, the weight 21 will engage and pick up theweight 32, so that the added load will retard the descent of thecarriage and bring it to a quick and gentle stop on the conveyor section5. It will be recognized, however, that a retarding or deceleratiingeffect .is produced also by the curvature of the runway. The steepnessof the slope at the beginning of the descent of the carriage causes thecarriage to move rapidly during the rst part of its descent, while theleveling of the nal portion of the runway causes the carriage to slowdown as it approaches the discharge end 9, Both the contour of therunway and the additional weight 32 therefore tend to produce the samedesired result; within the broad spirit of the invention either or bothof these expedients may be used, or both may be omitted.

Of course the value of the weight 21 is made such that an empty carriagewill be overbalanced by it and pulled up to the receiving end 8 of therunway, while a carriage carrying a case 2 will overbalance the weightand roll down the runway. Thus reciprocation of the carriage along therunway, taking cases down and returning empty for reloading, isaccomplished.

In order to make it unnecessary for an operator to be positioned at theend of conveyor section I to feed a case 2 to the carriage each time thecarriage arrives in receiving position, and to eliminate the need forany automatic timing mechanism coordinating delivery of cases withascent of the carriage, the invention provides a detent device 40 in theend portion of the conveyor section I. These may comprise a pair ofU-shaped elements each of which has a short leg 4I and a longer leg 42biased upwardly as by a spring 43 so as normally to elevate both legs upinto the conveyor section into obstructing relation with a caseadvancing along the conveyor. The two legs of each device are mounted sothat they are spaced along the length of the conveyor, with each of thedevices located on an inside margin of the bed of the conveyor, and thearrangement is such that the rearmost, and preferbly longer, leg of eachdevice will normally be in position to engage the leading edge of anadvancing case and stop it. However, when the carriage I4 reaches thereceiving end 8 of the runway, being perched on the tail end of theconveyor section I, in the position shown in full lines at the left sideof Fig. 1, the left hand edge of the carriage settles on and depressesthe legs 4I, which of course pulls legs 42 down from in front of thecase 2, whereupon the case is free to move into the carriage. To cause awaiting case, stopped behind the legs 42, to move automatically carriagedepressing the legs 4I, the upper conveyor section I is best madeslightly downwardlyinclined, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.; As soon as thecase clears the two devices, the legs are raised by the spring 43 andthe next case advances by audios gravity and is halted by the legs 42until the carriage returns and assumes receiving position, whereupon thecycle is repeated.

The receiving position of the carriage is one in which it rests flat onthe extreme tail end of the conveyor section I, as shown in full linesin Fig. l. When @a case is fully seated in the vcarriage thuspositioned, the loaded carriage becomes overbalanced and it tipsforwardly about the tail roller of the conveyor section. It starts downthe runway, turning end over end as the rollers 23 turn in their rollingmovement down the rails l2. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, illustrated in the drawing, the rollers and runway areproportioned to turn the carriage through two complete revolutionsduring its descent, but of course within the spirit of the inventionthese proportions may be modified to cause the carriage to turn three oreven more times, as has been explained; When the carriage reaches thedischarge end 9 of the runway, by turning to come to rest in theposition shown in Fig. 5 and in broken lines in Fig. l, the inertia ofthe relatively heavy loaded case causes the case to continue its forwardmovement, so that it issues from the open forward end of the carriageand moves along the lower level conveyor section 5.

In its movement along the runway, in both the descent and the ascent,the spacer block iianges 22a, which as best shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3extend somewhat beyond the peripheries of the rollers 23, serve tosteady the rollers on the rails I2 and prevent derailment in much thesame manner as the flanged wheels of a railroad car truck function tomaintain the wheels on the l track rails.

It will be evident that the type of operation which has been explainedrequires some holding or latching means for securing the case in thecarriage during its rotating descent down the runway, with appropriaterelease for discharge ci the case onto the conveyor section 5.

The invention provides such latching in the form of the means best shownin Fig. 6. A pair of spring clips 5|) Vare bolted to the topsuriace cithe back or trailing end sill 2li of the carriage iloor so that theirouter portions will lie belowv the level oi the horizontal flanges ofthe side angle irons l5 on which the case slides, while their inner endsare turned up, as shown. It will be evident that the iront end of anoncoming case will depress each of the resilient clips as it slides overthem, and that the free ends of the clips will rise behind the trailingend of the case, to the position shown in Fig. 6, and lock or latch thecase against backward movement out of the carriage.

Fig. 6 Ialso shows the means employed for halting the case at a positionfully received within the carriage and preventing premature sliding ofthe case out from the front of the carriage. This may comprise a pair ofpins 5| resiliently pressed up through laterally spaced holes in thefront or leading end sill 2| of the carriage floor by spring means 52socketed below the sill. The spacing of the pins 5| and the latches 50is such as to accommodate between them the length of a case 2 withslight clearance, and the pins and latches serve to hold the case withinthe carriage during its rotation on descent along the runway. The roofor top l'l of the carriage holds the bottles, and hence the case also,well seated on the carriage floor.

In order to retract the pins 5| when the carriage reaches the dischargeend 9 of the runway,

each of the pins may be provided with a racked or toothed front edgeengaged by a small gear or gear-segment 53 journaled on a pintle 54mounted below the sill 2|. A finger 55 is formed on the gear landextends forwardly from it at a downward inclination in the normalupstanding posi tion of the pin. As thecarriage swings down to thehorizontal position shown in Fig. 5, at the end of its descent of therunway, the ringer impinges on the top surface of a cross tie 56 of theconveyor section 5 and is thereby lifted or turned counterclockwise.This rotation of the gear depresses the pin 5| into the socketcontaining the spring 52, Iand the case 2 is free to slide by itsmomentum or inertia out of the carriage and onto the conveyor section 5.As soon as the case clears the carriage, the spring 52 raises the pinand the carriage returns to the top of the runway ready to receive thenext case from the conveyor section for repetition of the cycle.

It is desirable to center the rollers 23 so that their common axispasses through the center of gravity of the loaded carriage, as will beunderstood.

yIt is believed to be evident from the foregoing that the structureprovided by the present inven tion is extremely economical to build andto operate, since it involves few parts, no precision elements ordelicate mechanism, no motor or electrical consumption, and requires nospecial skill and no great amount of labor for installation. Additionaladvantages will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that numerous changes from the exemplaryembodiment which has been illustrated and described may be made withinthe spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims. and that notall of the elements and parts'of this complete embodiment need be usedin the par ticular combination shown.

I claim:

1. An agitating machine for mixing charges of syrup and water inindividual merch-andisable containers comprising a downwardly inclinedcontinuons fixed runway having an upper receiving end and a lowerdischarge end, a carriage recipro-cable along the runway and operativelyconnected thereto for rotation automatically during movement down therunway, means for supplying containers to the carriage when at thereceiving end of the runway, and means for disu charging containers fromthe carriage when at the discharge end of the runway.

2. An agitating machine for mixing charges of syrup and water inindividual merchandisable containers comprising a downwardly slopingcontinuous fixed runway having a receiving end at an upper level and adischarge end at a lower level, conveyors communicating with the runway,and a carriage operatively connected to the runway for rotationautomatically during movement down the runway, means for holding on thecarriage containers received from the upper level conveyor, and meansfor releasing said containers from the carriage at the discharge end ofthe runway for movement along the lower level conveyor.

3. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, in vwhich the carriagecomprises a floor adapted to receive a case of containers and includesmeans for holding said case and the containers therein againstseparation from the carriage during rotation on movement down therunway.

4. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the runwayincludes a pair of laterally SDaced rails and the carriage includes'apair of rollers xed relatively to the carriage and frictionally engagedwith the rails for rotation, .and for rotating the carriage, as therollers roll down the runway.

5. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the carriage iscounterb-alanced to move up the runway to the receiving end thereof whenthe carriage is empty and to descend to the discharge end thereof whenloaded with a predetermined number of containers.

6. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, including a detentcooperating with the discharge end of the upper level conveyor. forstopping containers at said end, and means operative in response tothecarriage reaching the receiving end of the runway to actuate the detentto release containers to be received by the carriage.

7. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the carriagecomprises spaced parallel oor and top members adapted to receive betweenthem a case of containers, in combination with movable abutment meansoperatively connected with the oor member for holding the case and thecontainers therein against separation from the carriage during inversionupon rotation down the runway.

8. An agitating machine as claimed in cla-im 2, in which the carriagecomprises spaced parallel door and top members adapted to receivebetween them a case of containers, in combination with movable abutmentmeans operatively connected with the floor member for holding the caseand the containers therein against separation from the carriage duringinversion upon rotation down the runway, said abutment means including aresilient element depressible by the leading end of a case entering thecarriage and movable to abut the trailing end thereof and a secondresilient element for engaging and stopping the leading end of a casefully seated on the carriage.

9. An agitating machinev as claimed in claim 2, in which the carriagecomprises spaced parallel iloor and top members adapted to receivebetween them a case of containers, in combination with movable abutmentmeans operatively connected with the floor member for holding the caseand the containers therein against separation from the carriage duringinversion upon rotation down the runway, said abutment means including aresilient element depressible by the leading end of a case entering thecarriage and movable to abut the trailing end thereof and a secondresilient element for engaging and stopping the leading end of a casefully seated on the carriage, and means cooperating with the secondresilient element to retract the same and release the case automaticallywhen the oarriage reaches the discharge end of the runway.

10. 'An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the runwayincludes a pair of laterally spaced toothed rails and the carriage1ncludes a pair 0f rollers fixed relatively to the carriage and havingperipheral teeth engaged with the teeth of the rails for rotation, andfor rotating the carriage, as the rollers roll down the runway.

11. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 2, including acounterweight and a line connecting the counterweight to the carriage,the weight of the counterweight being suicie'nt to overbalance thecarriage when empty and pull the carriage to the receiving end of therunway and adapted to be overbalanced by the carriage when loadedwhereby the loaded carriage will roll down the runway to the dischargeend thereof.

12. An agitating machine for mixing charges of syrup and water inindividual merchandisable containers comprising a downwardly inclinedrunway having an upper receiving end and a lower discharge end, acarriage having iixed thereon roller means frlctionally engaged with therunway for rotating the carriage on descent along the runway, means forsupplying containers to the carriage at the receiving end of the runway,and means for releasing the containers from the carriage at thedischarge end of the runway.

13. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 12, in which the runwaycomprises rack means and the roller means comprises gear means meshedwith the rack means.

14. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 12, including means forholding the containers in the carriage during descent along the runway.

15. An agitating machine as claimed in claim l2, including counterweightmeans for returning the empty carriage upwardly along the runway.

16. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 12, including means forretarding movement of the carriage as it approaches the discharge end ofthe runway.

17. An agitating machine as claimed in claim 12, including means forreturning the empty carriage to the receiving end of the runway, and inwhich the runway is arcuately curved, being steepest adjacent thereceiving end, whereby the speed of the carriage is reduced as itapproaches the receiving end. WILLIAM L. BASHF'ORD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName l Date 2,107,890 Frank Feb. 8, 1938 2,253,271 Hamilton Aug. 19,1941 2,264,743 Copeland Dec. 2, 1941 2,329,787 Romano Sept. 21, 1943

